FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State volleyball team (25-4) will begin its quest for a national championship in Stanford, Calif., heading to the home of the six-time national champion Stanford Cardinal for the first and second rounds of the 2010 NCAA championships next weekend, the NCAA announced Sunday afternoon.

The Rams, who claimed an automatic bid to the tournament by virtue of their second consecutive Mountain West Conference title, will face off against the Big West champion Cal State Fullerton Titans (26-5) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. MT at Stanford’s Maples Center.

The winner will advance to face either host Stanford (24-3), the tournament’s No. 3 overall seed and the top seed in the Dayton Region, or Albany (22-8) for a chance to advance to the regional round in Dayton, Ohio. The second round is set for a 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT start on Saturday.

The Cardinal earned an at-large bid after tying Cal for the Pac-10 title. Albany earned an automatic bid as the America East champion. The Cardinal and the Great Danes square off Friday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT.

The Rams will be playing in their 16th consecutive NCAA tournament (22nd overall), and are coming off of a 2009 appearance in the regional semifinals after upsetting No. 6-seeded Washington in the second round at Moby Arena. Stanford also appeared in the 2009 regional semifinals, and ranks as one of just two programs nationally to have appeared in all 30 NCAA volleyball championships.

The 2010 tournament marks the first in program history for Cal State Fullerton. Albany will be making its fifth NCAA DI tournament appearance, all since 2004.

Colorado State was one of two MWC schools to earn an invite to the tournament, being joined by the New Mexico Lobos, who earned an at-large bid and will face No. 6-seeded Southern California in Los Angeles. This marks the 12th consecutive season that multiple teams will represent the MWC in the NCAA tournament.

Tickets for the first- and second-round matches at Stanford are available through the Cardinal ticket office online at www.GoStanford.com, or by calling 1-800/STANFORD.

Additional information, including interactive brackets, live stats and broadcast information, can be found at www.NCAA.com.